Multiple DeskTops, HiColor theme, standardized icon names, & menu icons

[Bastian, Waldo]

I am picky yes, but not needlessly so.

I am not picky about the difference between $XDG_PREFIX/share/icons and
$XDG_DATA_DIRS/icons, although the latter should be used since it has a
clearly defined meaning as documented in
http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-0.6.html#refe
rencing

I am picky about the difference between
	$KDE_PREFIX/share/apps/<app_name>/icons/<theme>/<size>/<type>
And
	$XDG_DATA_DIRS/apps/<app_name>/icons/<theme>/<size>/<type>

Because the latter should only be used if there is a specification that
describes its use. And yes, I agree that this is something that _could_
be added to a specification although I am not convinced that it really
matters where an application installs its private icons as long as it
knows where to look for them. And I don't think it makes sense to
require that a $XDG_DATA_DIRS location is used for private icons.
Especially since the install prefix of an application (e.g. /opt/picasa)
may not always be part of $XDG_DATA_DIRS in which case one would have to
go through some trouble to copy/link such files around. (Like we need to
do for .desktop files, mimetype icons and application icons)

I agree that it could be a good idea for GNOME/GTK to look for
application private icons in
${install_prefix}/apps/<app_name>/icons/<theme>/<size>/<type> in a way
that is similar to KDE.

Waldo Bastian
Linux Client Architect - Client Linux Foundation Technology
Channel Platform Solutions Group
Intel Corporation - http://www.intel.com/go/linux
OSDL DTL Tech Board Chairman

>-----Original Message-----
>From: James Richard Tyrer [mailto:tyrerj at acm.org]
>Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 11:45 PM
>To: Bastian, Waldo
>Cc: Shaun McCance; xdg at lists.freedesktop.org
>Subject: Re: Multiple DeskTops, HiColor theme, standardized icon names,
&
>menu icons
>
>Bastian, Waldo wrote:
>> KDE uses
>> $KDE_PREFIX/share/apps/<app_name>/icons/<theme>/<size>/<type>
>> for application specific icons.
>>
>> It doesn't use XDG_PREFIX and neither should it as long as
>> $XDG_DATA_DIR/apps is not part of any XDG specification.
>
>Are you being needlessly picky?
>
>Are you saying that icons are not stored in:
>
>	$XDG_PREFIX/share/icons
>
>but rather in:
>
>	$XDG_DATA_DIR/icons
>
>I was not aware that there was a difference -- actually wasn't aware
>that there actually was a XDG_PREFIX googled and find that there is so
I
>should have said: $<desktop>DIR.
>
>IAC, it has absolutely nothing to do with the main points of my posting
>and I see little point in your comment since it doesn't really
>contribute the the issue being discussed.
>
>KDE private icons go in:
>
>	$KDEDIR/share/apps/<app_name>/icons/<theme>/<size>/<type>
>
>[except that isn't where I keep icons on my system since the only
>solution I found for some XDG issues is to install KDE in
>"/usr/kde<version>" and GNOME2 in "/usr/gome2" with the share
>subdirectories being links to "/usr/share" -- ugly but it works}
>
>and to standardize this they would go in:
>
>	$XDG_DATA_DIR/apps/<app_name>/icons/<theme>/<size>/<type>
>
>{which isn't really the same, is it? And not really as good to
>illustrate my point.}
>
>If this is not part of the standard, SMcC's posting illustrates that
>GNOME does not have a standard way to deal with this and pointed out
>that KDE does.  I suggest that the KDE method (which works --except for
>bugs) be added to the standard if RD can live with it.
>
>--
>JRT